Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen
Braxton
Dominic and Asher strolled into the den with smiles like the Cheshire Cat. They relayed the day’s findings, which was an impressive turn of events. It meant we were one step closer to getting the codes. I felt lousy about being the bearer of bad news. From what we could decipher from the press report, the country was in chaos. Cruz turned his attention to the television; his brows had set in a perturbed frown and his jaw pulsed with anger.
“We think the Chameleon has reached London,” I told them, slapping the glee from their faces. “There’s been a security violation in MI6; Dad is going through the CCTV footage as we speak.”
“What?” Asher blurted, wide-eyed with shock.
Dominic staggered, then toppled into the recliner. “How the fuck?” he sighed, exasperatedly.
Cruz batted the air, signalling us to be quiet. We paused, shifting our attention to the television to watch the news report.
The clip showed the Secretary of State giving a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament. Then someone photobombed the shot with a homemade billboard, claiming that our government is keeping secrets from us. He cried out, “The elections are rigged! We're ruled by a dictatorship!” before being removed by S.A.S bodyguards.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I ignored the call. This was a disaster. We couldn’t peel our eyes from the T.V screen.
Shaken by the outburst, the secretary resumed his speech, but instead of appeasing the irate mob around him, he fuelled the fire by playing the whole thing down.
“I repeat . . . we will not play into the hands of terrorists, and we refute the claims that have been made against us. As I understand, this was a social media hoax, meant to disrupt our fine society. Do not be hoodwinked. There was no breach of data, no conspiracy to monitor you via your household appliances." He shook his head as if he found the idea ludicrous. "The rumours are false, and we urge you all to remain vigilant when receiving bogus messages and emails. Don't click on any links if you're unsure of their source. Scammers will use any means to collect your passwords. This is old news... And sadly, it will not be the end of it. Rest assured; our security remains intact. There is no cause for alarm. The perpetrator will be found and brought to justice.”
Cruz huffed a cynical chuckle. “And if you believe that, you deserve to be shot at point-blank range.”
“What exactly do those files contain?” Dominic muttered. “Does Dad know?”
“Good question,” I replied. “Let’s ask him.”
Asher paced the room, looking anxious. I could tell my brothers were all thinking the same ominous thoughts. Could we trust our government? Were we defending a lesser evil, stuck between a rock and a hard place?
I swiped my phone screen to unlock it, then saw the missed call was from my father. My heart hammered in my chest as I pressed to dial, and lifted the handset to my ear.
“Brax,” Dad answered in a rushed breath. “It’s a hot day in Cairo. Pack light, travel fast and don’t forget to pack your factor fifty. You'll need it.”
My blood pressure must have dropped because I became light-headed. I had to brace myself on the counter of the bar until my vision stopped dancing.
“Got it,” I replied, letting Dad know I understood the message. “We’ll be in touch when we land.”
The phones were hot. We were being watched. It was no longer safe to remain here at Sandbanks.
I ended the call, dismantled the phone, so I could rip out the SIM and destroy it. My brothers saw what I was doing and did the same with theirs. We had to be prepared to go dark and disappear from the grid, but we didn’t think we had to hide from our agency. This was bad, and anything that rattled Dad’s bones, sure as hell sent shivers down my spine. We didn’t just replace the SIMs, we fired-up four brand-new phones. Our anxiety was at an all-time high as I called the emergency number that Dad saved to the device.
“We’re clean,” I assured, hearing him sigh with relief.
“Good . . . now listen closely,” Dad cautioned. I placed him on loudspeaker so that my brothers could take part in the conversation. “Jaxx and I are heading to the Maldives to . . .”
Dominic cut him off bluntly, “Now is not the time to fuck off and soak up the sun, old man. We need you here.”
Asher would usually step in at this point and defuse the situation, but he seemed to agree with Dom.
“Dad?” Asher looked dismayed. "Start talking. All hell is breaking loose here."
“We set up a base on a private island and named it Alpha Two,” Dad explained, "Jaxx and I are going to create a diversion to cover your tracks. We're going to scramble their signals and buy you some time."
“Who is coming after us?” I pressed. “What’s going on?”
“The agency has screwed us over, that’s what,” Dad replied. The stress in his voice was clear. “They don't trust us. Those files contain world secrets. If they became public knowledge, democracy as we know it would cease to exist.”
“What are you saying?” Asher frowned.
“We're being framed by our own organisation. And to make matters worse, we think the Chameleon has a guy on the inside. We can't pinpoint who, but we think that's who keeps tipping him off and why he's always one step ahead. Jaxx and I don’t even know who we can trust anymore. Our government is looking for a scapegoat, and guess whose name came out on top?”
“Who?” I asked, swallowing a gulp.
“Bexley,” Dad replied, leaving a long pause for us to process that. “They’re accusing her of treason, insinuating that she is working with the Chameleon. The papers have already gone to press with a damning story, claiming that Barker Security was behind the entire scandal. They have it all figured out.”
“That’s bullshit!” Cruz roared. “They just want to locate her so they can force her to break the codes.”
“Exactly,” Uncle Jaxx spoke this time. “We’re counting on you boys to keep her and the codes safe.”
“Like you even need to ask,” Asher affirmed. “We’ll protect her with our lives.”
“I know…” Jaxx breathed a sigh of relief. “But it’s a parent’s job to worry. This has been brewing for a long time.”
It was almost dusk. We didn't have much time. By nightfall, the waterfront would be crawling with soldiers.
“We’ll touch base as soon as we reach Alpha one,” I vowed before cutting off the call.
“Where’s Bexley?” I inquired, my hands shaking with adrenaline.
“She said she needed to lie down, so I presume she's sleeping,” Asher answered, scrubbing a hand over his stressed face. “We better wake her.”
“I’ll get her,” I asserted. “We don’t want to scare her to death.”
Cruz had already switched to spy-mode. “Grab what you can. Be ready to fly within the hour.” He turned to Dom. “Load the Chinook with as much artillery you can get your hands on.”
Dominic nodded. “Got it,” he returned before dashing out of the den.
Asher’s face pinched with concern. “So, we’re fugitives now? We're the bad guys? That’s just perfect.”
Cruz bounced his shoulders in a shrug. “It seems that way, doesn’t it? After everything we've done for this country...” He turned away with disgust.
“Nothing has changed,” I told them. “We are still going to track down the clues to crack the codes, and when we’re done . . . we decide what we’re going to do with them. Our mother . . . Bexley’s mum died protecting the secret. There has to be more to this than meets the eye. The truth rests in our hands. Maybe destroying it isn’t the answer. What if their plan was to unveil it?”
"What if the Chameleon was hired to make sure they didn't, and was double-crossed by the agency? I mean, it's plausible. It could be the reason why he's resurfaced after all these years. After today, I'm inclined to believe anything is possible," Asher muttered; his nostrils flared with a swift intake of breath. His gaze trailed off into the distance. “We take out two birds with one stone,” he muttered. “We expose government corruption and eliminate the Chameleon once and for all. It's either that or we rot in jail.”
Cruz seemed a little uneasy as he paced. “Yeah, but this could be huge. It could change everything. We can only speculate our findings. It'll be like opening pandora's box.”
“Which is why they’re all coming after Bexley.” I locked eyes with Cruz and saw the vulnerability within them. “We can’t let them get to her. We don’t know who the informer is. If they take Bexley into custody, it’s only a matter of time before the Chameleon gets his hands on her. The guy is a ghost. He could be anyone.”
“Who says the Chameleon is a man?” Asher rightly pointed out. “It could just as easily be a woman. No one knows for sure. Their true identity has never been revealed.”
“That’s all the more reason to get the fuck out of here and get to Alpha One. Our location has been compromised. It’s no longer safe to be here,” I stressed.
Dominic came rushing by, bumping my shoulder as we met in the doorway. “Our security system is picking up a strange signal. Someone is trying to hack us,” he rushed his words. "I can't track the I.P address. It keeps changing."
"I'll load the ammo; you block the signal," Cruz suggested.
My brothers’ voices penetrated the hall as I made my way upstairs. The one thing I liked best about this house was that we could see who was coming at all angles. As the sun sank into the ocean horizon, the floodlights lit up the grounds. The tinted glass provided all the privacy we desired and cloaked us from prying eyes. Something was out there on the water, sliding across the skyline like a solid black mass. I recognized it as a Navy vessel and knew we were in trouble.
As I reached Bexley’s room, I raised my fist to knock. The mellow tone of her voice chimed from the opposite side of the door. Wasting no time at all, I burst in and startled her. There, in her hand, was the source of our problem. Whoever it was, has been tracking her phone calls.
“Bexley!” I yelled, incensed at what I saw. “Hang up the phone, now!”